NOTES ON GROUP SEATING (PARTY BEING SPLIT UP) "411":
1) The disclaimer of being split up is on all ADR's.
2) This is in case your party must be separated.
3) Parties of up to six are seldom split.
4) Parties of seven and above are more frequently split.
5) It is a matter of
. . . availability of tables which can be combined
. . . combining tables so that aisles are not compromised or blocked
. . . when you made the reservation, and how many others were made before you
. . . the physical layout of the eatery
. . . if they can fill the smaller two-or-three person tables (usually along walls or by pillars)
. . . the number of guests each SERVERS has, as the SERVERS are supposed to be evened-out for tips (per union contract)
6) They also must take into account the restaurant capacity
. . . if there are a lot of ressies, the eatery can be sold out
. . . combining tables reduces the number of seats available (end seats are lost)
. . . example: push two 4-top tables together and you seat six instead of eight
. . . thus, combining tables reduces capacity by 25%-50% per group
. . . for very busy days, revenue is more important than group convenience of sitting together
7) With the above being said
. . . they do try to combine tables to accommodate the group
. . . but, be prepared if splitting does occur for your group
